Josh Barnett Doesn’t See AEW vs. WWE Matches Happening At Bloodsport Right Now

Josh Barnett says that he doesn’t expect to book AEW talent vs. WWE talent at Bloodsport at the moment, explaining why in a new interview. Barnett spoke with SHAK Wrestling for a new interview and during the conversation he was asked about potentially putting an AEW star in a match with a WWE star at the show.

“I don’t think at the moment that is something that will work for either company,” Barnett said (per Fightful). “They’re very much in a heated rivalry and I mean, to me, I could take, regardless of being an AEW or WWE person, and I could put together a match that will serve everybody. But, I do also respect that these two companies have their own stances towards each other and towards the market itself and their talent and their concerns. That’s fine by me. These are not my companies and technically, these are not my wrestlers. I cannot see anyway at which I can approach this and be like, ‘Oh well, you owe me for this’ or ‘You should do it because—’”

He continued, “If they were ever interested to have my opinion on this and how this could be done and whether or not that they would agree with it, awesome. At this moment, I don’t see that being something that either would be comfortable with. It wouldn’t be something, in regards to the wrestlers specifically themselves, but it’s just the politics I suppose you could say of competition. That won’t stop a DDT wrestler from wrestling a WWE wrestler or a New Japan wrestler from wrestling an AEW or a WWE wrestler or a STARDOM wrestler wrestling an AEW wrestler or whatever or NWA or MLW or whoever. We put the matches together and we always try to make sure that everybody represented comes out better than when they stepped in that ring.”

Bloodsport XII takes place on April 17th and airs live on Triller TV+.